Overview
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally apologised in the House of Commons on Thursday for the forced adoption of an estimated 185,000 babies and said the state was 'deeply and profoundly sorry'.
- Starmer told parliament that many unmarried mothers were coerced, bullied or misled and that the practices were embedded in systems across local authorities, faith-run homes and parts of the health service.
- The government announced a three-year £4 million package to improve access to adoption records, fund reunification support and expand trauma and mental health services but did not create a compensation scheme.
- The Church of England issued its own apology in June and the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales apologised in 2023, while Northern Ireland’s formal response is tied to a separate public inquiry.
- Campaigners welcome the state apology but continue to press for clear eligibility rules, a single central records service, fully trauma-informed support and a binding route to financial redress, which could prompt further policy or legal steps.